Passing through Godzilla's dream, Mobius finally opened her eyes and looked upon a world she had never touched before.
A vast, magnificent cosmos.
And now, she stood within that starry cosmos, embraced by countless stars.
"Magnificent." That was Mobius's first reaction.
Anyone seeing the grandeur of the cosmos for the first time would feel the same.
A tyrannical, unrivaled sovereign would view the universe as just another battlefield.
A benevolent and righteous person would wish to spread their ideals across every corner of the stars.
A despicable scoundrel would plunge countless worlds into terror.
No matter the kind, this was the excitement all beings feel when they first enter the starry expanse.
And at this moment, Mobius stepped into this new domain, eager to relish the impact of all these new, unfamiliar wonders.
"Miss Memokeeper, that 'Dr. Primitive' you mentioned earlier, is he still around?"
Mobius lightly extended her tongue to moisten her lips, smiling sweetly.
Black Swan returned a soft smile. "I couldn't trace Dr. Primitive's whereabouts. But my colleague in Penacony seems to know something. Still, a mind that has abandoned all restraint is not easy to track. So Miss Mobius, it's best not to expect too much."
"No worries. I already have plenty to study." Mobius smiled, sweet, like a newly graduated college student entering society.
For example, that machine who ascended to become an Aeon, walking at the very forefront of the Path of [Erudition].
Her unique memetic lifeform allowed her to clearly sense Mobius's deep, hidden ambition.
She wished to draw the attention of the Aeon of Erudition. She wanted to see for herself what form that massive robot took when it ascended, to become a one-and-only existence in the cosmos, provoking heated discussion whenever it appeared.
A genius no less than Screwllum or Herta.
Black Swan quietly sighed.
Throughout the vast universe, across countless stars, beings like Mobius, who had surpassed life and death, were extremely rare.
Especially since she evolved in such desperate circumstances, at the brink of her civilization's extinction, forcing evolution upon herself with nothing but a frail human body to gain the power of the Path.
That alone would place her on the front page of the Interastral Express Times.
The wealthy tycoons in their twilight years, once they learned of her existence, would rush toward her, waving their credit points without hesitation.
As for harming her?
The wealthy are not fools, they would investigate very clearly who she belonged to and where she came from.
....
Paperfold University, Principal's Office.
"Professor Primon, the students are cooperating very actively with the event, but due to that giant beast's presence, we've still run into some trouble."
One of the DreamJolt Troupe's Assistanana reported, its screen flickering as it addressed the lab-coat-wearing monkey sitting behind the desk.
These days, even monkeys wore lab coats.
Or perhaps that was simply the impression Professor Primon gave off.
"This is indeed troublesome." Professor Primon adjusted his thick round glasses and scratched the fur on his head, speaking in a calm tone.
"Take it slow. No one dislikes the Slumbernana Monkey. Oh right, as educators, we must provide unparalleled care for our burdened students. They have travelled so far to attend college. Surely it's to experience a warmth like home. This must be strictly upheld."
"Understood, professor."
Not long after the Assistanana's departed, someone else entered.
"You seem to have run into a lot of trouble." It was Rick, another Memokeeper, also an outstanding filmmaker, whose works swept through entire galaxies.
He himself was utterly obsessed with cinema, a madman who dreamt of making only perfect films.
For example, even at the risk of turning into a Slumbernana Monkey, he still insisted on collaborating with the professor.
"Mr. Rick, don't rush." The professor chuckled and slowly turned around. Behind the heavy glasses lay the madness unique to research apes.
"Besides, if things get too troublesome, your movie won't be easy to film, right?"
Rick said nothing.
To capture an unprecedented, historic shot, he had risked everything while tracking Dr. Primitive.
As it turned out, he did have some talent in hunting.
Even Dr. Primitive, who slipped through the Galaxy Rangers' pursuit, was somehow discovered by him. And then…
And then he ended up like this.
To sacrifice for art, turning into a monkey was hardly worth mentioning!
But…
"If that one notices the commotion here, not only will your experiment fail, even you won't be able to escape."
The professor merely chuckled in response.
"To sacrifice ourselves for civilization's wisdom, that was the resolve every researcher ape made when we chose to follow the Doctor. So long as we persevere, the Doctor's brilliance will one day shine upon every corner of the universe! Bana! Bana!!"
Rick looked at him silently. This kind of madness was normal for someone who followed Dr. Primitive.
After rambling for a while, the professor cleared his throat and continued: "Besides, I chose this place for the graduation project for a reason. Penacony itself is suitable for experimentation. As for that Godzilla, drawing his gaze is not easy."
As the saying goes:
When there is no Godzilla, even the monkeys become kings.
That was essentially the situation in Penacony right now.
Those who understand, understand; those who don't will never understand, no matter how much you explain.
....
"The Slumbernana Monkeys are Dr. Primitive's memetic virus. Those missing Family members are almost certainly the little creatures scattered all over Paperfold University."
Old Oti calmly explained the phenomenon that could make countless civilizations tremble.
The Dr. Primitive's regression experiments had terrified civilizations across the cosmos, each fearing they would be the next target.
Buckos II, the Pegasus Interstellar Duchy, Kapakala Star, and many more,
Civilizations once renowned across the stars, with stable development and flourishing societies, were reduced, to wandering the ruins of their former homes, unable even to comprehend the relics buried beneath them, after Dr. Primitive's visit.
Intelligent machines reverted to simple machines. Zazzka reverted to birds. And the most common human civilizations all met the same fate: Hundreds of millions of primates wandering the ruins once called "home".
But, he made one mistake. He had now come to the wrong place.
Welt and Himeko exchanged glances. Everything was clear.
No one understood Godzilla's power better than those who had just returned from Godzilla's dream, a dream capable of overwriting reality.
There was no doubt: everything Dr. Primitive had done was within the scope of Godzilla's awareness.
It was no different from doing side-to-side jumps right in front of Godzilla. As for why Godzilla hadn't made a move,
If Dr. Primitive were to jump out on his own, Himeko had no doubt that Godzilla would fire off an atomic breath from countless light-years away and send Dr. Primitive, whatever kind of lifeform he was, back to his most primitive state.
But since Godzilla wasn't making a move now, did that mean Dr. Primitive wasn't actually in Penacony?
Welt spoke this thought out loud.
"There's indeed such a possibility, and not a small one," Jade nodded slightly. Having witnessed Godzilla's divine might, she knew that even someone like Dr. Primitive wouldn't jump around recklessly in another being's domain without absolute confidence.
After all, he was an Emanator of Erudition, wise enough to preserve and adapt.
Of course, if the temptation were great enough, Dr. Primitive's mad personality might still push him to jump in personally. But the gains and risks of meddling in Penacony were clearly not proportional.
Most likely, the one stationed here was merely one of Dr. Primitive's many followers, someone who rushed over enthusiastically with the intent of acting on the Doctor's behalf.
…
And in fact, that was exactly the case. On a unique planet, Dr. Primitive continued conducting his atavism experiments.
He was perfectly aware of the situation in Penacony. On the path of civilizational regression, he could not afford to miss any information that might produce results. Everything was for the sake of letting civilization return to its roots and awaken potential once more.
Ah, seems a colleague was paying attention to him again.
That Screwllum, the one who suspected he was inorganic.
Tsk, what a shame. He'd been a little too busy with the Rangers' activities lately; otherwise he really would've liked to visit the Planet Screwllum that gave birth to such a genius. Atavistic experiments weren't limited only to organic life.
Intellitron's also occupied a great portion of the universe's living space. Their unique structures were a miracle of this cosmos.
And now, another unmatched miracle had appeared within this universe.
Godzilla.
"An ecosystem," the featureless Dr. Primitive murmured.
Ever since Godzilla began showing his might across the cosmos, the Doctor had been observing this lifeform that had never once appeared in the universe's recorded history.
Such a peculiar lifeform. Dr. Primitive couldn't help but praise it sincerely.
Truly unimaginable, what kind of environment could produce such a towering being?
Because part of his research overlapped with Godzilla, he had been paying close attention to him.
He was especially delighted when the creatures of Godzilla's ecosystem appeared. Mm, don't misunderstand, he merely sought to understand the wishes and biological nature of these lifeforms.
After all, his ideal was to regress civilization, then reignite the flame of wisdom, not to let enormous organisms crush civilization and rule the world.
But if those beings were to evolve civilization… Dr. Primitive wouldn't mind giving it a try.
"Doctor, the report for Experiment 28 is out."
A slumbernana monkey handed it over.
…
Meanwhile, the Trailblazers had noticed something strange.
"The explosive popularity of the Slumbernana Monkeys happened overnight. And the Galaxy Rangers… they're back in Penacony. Obviously they're not here in Penacony for vacation."
"I noticed too. Some people who were talking normally suddenly started going 'Bana, bana' nonstop. There must be a conspiracy in Penacony!"
March 7th put her hands on her hips, excited.
"Then shall we…" Stelle blinked, slowly raising her right hand the same way she held her baseball bat.
"Beat them up!"
"Yeah!!"
They didn't know who "they" were, but whatever, just beat them!!
Seeing March 7th raise her hand alongside Stelle, Dan Heng sighed helplessly.
Forget it. They were going to investigate Penacony's problems anyway.
As for their… excessive energy, well, the Express was a Penacony shareholder now. Breaking a few things wouldn't hurt.
The real issue was,
"So how do we even find them?" March 7th blinked adorably.
…
Fortunately, someone had already chosen the answer for them.
"Baseball bat Ninja, Ninja Ruri, Ninja Hiryu, an honor to meet you."
Rappa greeted them with a perfectly serious face.
"Rappa!" March 7th's eyes lit up.
"Hehe, we were just struggling to find a breakthrough. Rappa, you chased that… evil Osaru guy all the way here, right? Do you know where they gather?"
Under March 7th's expectant gaze, Rappa nodded firmly.
"You all truly are ninjas who cut through the darkness. I am impressed.
"I do indeed have clues regarding the subordinates of the Evil Ninja Osaru, those wicked Fiendlings. And that is…"
…
"Dreamflux Reef really is the perfect place to hide people, damn it."
Boothill shot an impatient glance at the peacefully sleeping Slumbernana Association members.
During his investigation, running into a few villainous small fry was inevitable.
Boothill didn't mind the small fry, but these guys stuck to him like a mood-warped Firefly.
Damn it. If this weren't Rappa's request, he'd have shot holes through the place already.
"Dreamflux Reef… tch, where even is it? Should I grab another cup of malt-beer first?"
Just as Boothill was wondering whether to use some interstellar cowboy methods to force out useful intel,
"Well now, it seems you're in a bit of trouble."
A presence appeared, like a venomous serpent coiled behind bamboo leaves, hiding its breath, ready to inject poison into any intruder stepping into its forest.
Boothill rolled his neck, turned slightly, and eyed the uninvited guest.
"Who the hell are you? Do I know you?"
"We can start knowing each other now." The mysterious woman smiled slightly. That snake-like aura not only failed to withdraw, it intensified.
As if she didn't care at all whether she provoked Boothill's hostility.
"Hah. You deaf or something? Or do you wanna try this thing?"
Gunpowder filled the air around the firearm in Boothill's hand. Creatures on most planets would run the moment they smelled that scent.
Any creature that charged forward without fear clearly had never encountered something like it.
Mobius examined the gun with great interest. She hadn't done much research on firearms.
But experience told her well enough how exquisite its craftsmanship was excellent.
After all, it was a weapon used by a Galaxy Ranger. Ordinary guns simply couldn't survive combat of that intensity.
If Vill-V were here, she probably wouldn't be able to resist taking it apart. The image of that genius who once invaded her laboratory flashed through Mobius's mind…